1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bed skirts, and more particularly relates to a bed skirt construction having mitered corner construction, Stay Perfect partially closed, partially open pleat construction, and a capping or tuck/welt assembly construction for enhancing the fit of the bed skirt at the corner sites, for enhancing tuck positioned placement of the skirt intermediate a mattress and a box spring, and for enhancing linearity of the fold lines between upper tucked portions and lower draping portions of the bed skirt as outfitted upon a bed assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bed skirts have been used for many years for covering the box spring portion of a bed assembly to provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the bed assembly. Typically, bed skirts have an upper platform or mattress-to-spring interface portion that is placed over the top of the box spring and a lower panel portion connected to the interface portion that hangs over the sides of the box spring to conceal the box spring from view and prevent debris from entering the space under the box spring.
A basic bed skirt construction comprises a decorative length of fabric that surrounds the box spring element of a bed assembly (basically comprising a mattress and a box spring). The length of fabric surrounds three sides of the box spring, including the left and right sides and the foot. The head is not surrounded by a bed skirt as would normally be the case with a dust ruffle. Some of the more pertinent prior art disclosures relating to bed skirt constructions in connection with the present invention are briefly described hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,456 ('456 patent), which issued to Evans, for example, discloses a Height-Adjustable Bedskirt Assembly. The '456 patent describes a height-adjustable bed skirt assembly comprising a generally rectangular support sheet having fasteners for adjustably coupling together a longitudinal fold in the sheet surface, and an elongate skirt.
The support sheet includes fasteners which extend along the perimeter margin and engage similar fasteners which extend along the upper margin of the skirt, to permit easy removability of the skirt while the support sheet remains in place beneath the mattress. The support sheet includes a plurality of rows of spaced fasteners for adjustably coupling together a pair of longitudinal folds in the sheet surface. The support sheet also includes elastic keepers adjacent the corners for securing the support sheet to an underlying box spring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,931 ('931 patent), which issued to Hamilton, discloses a Mattress Stabilizing Bedskirt Assembly Having Detachably Attachable Skirt Components The '931 patent describes a bed skirt assembly made up of a non-slip grip deck made from non-slip fabric with releasable fasteners. The grip deck is installed between the mattress and box springs of the bed and stabilizes the location of the mattress relative to the box springs and provides for easy attachment of segments of skirting, in one panel or several panels. The position of the panels is adjustable for height and length and to suit individual bed frames. The skirt panels can be quickly and easily removed and replaced without having to remove the mattress from the box springs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,553 ('553 patent), which issued to Baron et al., discloses a System Bed Skirt. The '553 patent describes a bed skirt for use over the lower part of a bed having a foot and opposed spaced sides and a horizontally extending mattress supported on a bedstead formed by a frame and legs, said bed skirt extending over the legs of the bed to provide a desired enclosure for the lower portion of the bed to minimize dust accumulations under the bed and to provide a decorative enclosure for the lower part of the bed.
The bed skirt is formed with a vertically extending skirt portion or flounce dimensioned to extend along at least the foot and opposed sides of the bed from a point close to the floor to a point above the legs of the bed. Secured to the top edge of the skirt by a single continuous line of stitching is a retaining strip which extends horizontally from the upper edge of the skirt portion over at least a part of the bed frame, preferably a distance such as to cover the edge of the horizontal surface of the mattress support.
A plurality of spaced complementary fastening elements of a hook and loop type of fastening element are secured to the retaining strip therealong and a plurality of mating complementary fastening elements of said hook and loop type of fastening elements are provided adhesively securable to a horizontal surface of the bed frame, preferably the mattress support, at points such that the spacing of said fastening elements on the horizontal surface of the bed frame matches the spacing of the hook and loop elements secured to said retaining element, whereby said retaining element and its associated skirt portion may be selectively positioned along the side and bottom edges of the bed and held in this pre-selected position.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,469 ('469 patent), which issued to Schrougham, discloses a Bed Skirt. The '469 patent describes a bed skirt having a downwardly extending ruffle and panel sections that are tucked between an upper and lower mattress to maintain such bed skirt in a proper position and alignment with respect to the lower mattress.
The panels sections are equipped with adjustable fastening implements that are used to secure the positioning of the panel sections with respect to each other. The panel sections are designed to be incrementally inserted between an upper and lower mattress, and the fastening implements allow a user to secure the panel sections in proper alignment with respect to each other and with respect to the lower mattress once inserted and positioned thereupon.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,009 ('009 patent), which issued to Schrougham, discloses a Bed Skirt. The'009 patent describes a bed skirt having a downwardly extending ruffle and panel sections that are tucked between an upper and lower mattress to maintain such bed skirt in a proper position and alignment with respect to the lower mattress.
The panel sections are discontinuous or partially discontinuous and are equipped with adjustable fasteners that are used to secure the positioning of the panel sections with respect to each other. The panel sections are designed to be incrementally inserted between an upper and lower mattress, and the fasteners allow a user to secure the panel sections in proper alignment with respect to each other and with respect to the lower mattress once inserted and positioned between the mattresses.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,912,745 ('745 patent), which issued to Masoncup, discloses a Bed Skirt and Methods of Manufacture and Use. The '745 patent describes a bed skirt for positioned placement between a mattress and a box spring of a bed. The bed skirt has a side fabric panel for covering a first side of the box springs with a corner cap fold at one end for covering a corner of the box springs during use. A foot fabric panel covers a second side of the box springs perpendicular to the first side of the box springs.
A fabric cap connects an edge of the first panel to an edge of the second panel adjacent the corner cap of the first panel providing a convertible corner allowing the corner cap to optionally cover a corner of the box springs during use or straddle a bed frame member during use. A cord within the fabric cap frictionally holds the side panel and foot panel in place between the box springs and the mattress during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,129 ('129 patent), which issued to Wootten Jr., et al., discloses an Adjustable Bed Skirt. The '129 patent describes an adjustable bed skirt, for use with a bed having a mattress and a box spring, includes side panels having a non-slip portion, and end panels also including a non-slip portion. By inserting the non-slip portion of each side panel and each end panel between the mattress and the box spring, the side and end panels are retained in position so that the remaining non-inserted portion of each of the side and end panels hangs adjacent the box spring and forms a bed skirt thereon. Caps including a non-slip portion may also be inserted between the mattress and the box spring, adjacent edges of the box spring, to hide any gaps between edges of the side and end panels. The bed skirt may also be used with a bed having a mattress placed on a frame, and supported between the mattress and the frame.
It will be seen from an inspection of the prior art that the prior art perceives a need for a bed skirt construction comprising mitered corners for enhancing the fit of the bed skirt at the left and right foot corners. The corners of a typical bed box spring are created by changing the side line construction, at predetermined points, by 90 degrees, thereby forming a corner. Bed skirt construction has heretofore not adequately addressed the 90 degree corners of a box spring and how to enhance maintenance of the skirt planes at the corner junctions. The prior art thus perceives a need for mitered corner bed skirt construction according to the present invention as summarized in more detail hereinafter.